May 10, 2009 - Recent Arrivals

Male Red-winged Blackbirds are among the first spring migrants to arrive here in Minnesota. They are not bashful about visiting our feeders. With their loud konk-ka-ree call, they certainly let you know they are back. I have counted up to 15 males at our feeders at one time. The females are now starting to arrive; they usually come back a week or two later than the males.

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This is a male Purple Finch. They have also started arriving and will soon be starting to nest. We do enjoy hearing their beautiful song. Last year a graduate student named Sarah Knutie came to our yard and banded some of the Purple Finches. She is studying them and hopes to get back here this summer to do some follow-up work. I have seen one male and one female with bands on their legs. They could have been banded by someone else, but it’s likely that Sarah banded them last year and they’ve returned to visit us again this year.

finchpurplemaledunninglake20090424

I know that Common Grackles probably won’t be on most people’s list of favorite birds. But just look at the beautiful iridescent colors on this bird. I like to photograph them on a cloudy day because the colors show up so much better. If the sun is shining directly on them, there is too much reflection off their feathers.

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This Killdeer photo was taken at Trout Lake in Bovey, Minnesota, about 7 miles from our house. Last year at this location I was fortunate to get photos of baby Killdeer with one of the parents. I hope I get that opportunity again this year.

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